206 
AMERIOAJST AGRICULTURIST. 
[May, 
this barbed tug will be secured to the bridge 
of her nose. The moment she attempts to 
draw her milk, the points of the nails will 
come in contact with her udder, and thus be 
a complete preventive.”—The construction of 
this device is easily seen from the engraving. 
Some Practical Points in Peach Culture. 
[Mr. W. D. Eversole, Hunterdon Co.. N. J., 
gives his methods in the orchard culture of 
the Peach, which we append to some notes 
on what we may call the home culture of 
this fruit. Why should not every farm 
produce all the peaches the farmer’s family- 
can consume, with a supply to can and to 
dry, that will last until peaches come again ? 
We know of no reason, except that there is 
a general impression that peaches will not 
thrive here and there. “ The trees give but 
a crop or two, and then die,” is the frequent 
complaint. One great obstacle to the general 
culture of the peach is the notion that it 
must last and bear for a long series of years, 
like an apple tree. A very sensible farmer in 
N'ew England said to us many years ago: “ If 
I can get one crop from my peaches, the 
value of the wood pays me for raising the 
trees, the fruit is clear profit, and peaches pay 
better than corn.” The farmer will consider 
the first cost of the trees. The peach pro¬ 
duces better fruit from the seed than any 
other tree, and if a farmer, or other, can not 
do better, let him raise seedlings, saving the 
stones from the best peaches. But he gen¬ 
erally can do better, and when witliin reach 
of nurseries he should purchase budded trees, 
and be sure of good varieties. Most nurse¬ 
ries offer budded trees at 15 to 25 cts each, at 
retail, for well known good kinds ; of course 
novelties cost more, but good enough trees 
can be had at these prices, and by the hun¬ 
dred, trees in many places may be had at half 
these rates. Good corn land will produce 
good peaches, and in any locality near a mar¬ 
ket, such as a manufacturing village, the ex¬ 
cess of the first crop, beyond the family- 
supply, will pay for every outlay. Every 
farmer should set out 10 to 20 peach trees 
for his home use. The treatment given by 
our correspondent will apply to a few trees 
as well as to an orchard.— Eds.] 
Mr. Eversole says :—“ In planting the trees, 
I cut off all mutilated roots, and shorten the 
tap-root to two or three inches. After set¬ 
ting out—[We call particular attention to 
this point.— Eds.] —I cut off all branches, and 
cut back the top to about waist high, leaving 
nothing but a straight naked stick. Buds 
will soon appear upon tliis, and after the 
sprouts from them have well started, I rub 
out all but three or four of the uppermost, 
with which to form the top, or head, of the 
tree. These branches, never more than five, 
should be well cut back. When the trees are 
four or five years old, I cut them back quite 
severely so soon as the crop is off. My time 
for ‘ ‘ worming ” the trees is the first part of 
June each year. After planting the trees, 
corn is grown between the rows for two 
years, then buckwheat until bearing com¬ 
mences, using 200 lbs. of bone to the acre 
with the buckwheat. When bearing begins 
I continue the use of the bone, or phosphate, 
and have the finest colored peaches that are 
sent from this station. 
As TO Returns.— Mr. E. has been engaged 
in peach, culture for 16 years; he cuts back 
his trees so severely that they do not bear 
until five years old, but he thinks that by this 
course they continue longer in bearing. His 
second orchard, of about 1,200 trees, on eight 
acres, in 1879 yielded 2,100 baskets, from 
which the net returns from New York, were 
$1,475. In 1880 the yield was 1,800 baskets, 
the returns being $1,400. In 1881, for 1,601 
baskets, the returns were $1,714. The aggre¬ 
gate of the three crops was $4,589, from 
which the cost of picking and the bone ap¬ 
plied, $165, being deducted, leaves a profit of 
$4,424. I think peach culture pays me, and 
have an orchard of 1,225 trees, now three 
years old, coming on, and I shall this spring 
set another. The reason that so few orchards 
pay is, they are not properly cared for.” 
English Beans—What are They Like? 
In a note about beans of different kinds 
given last month, English Beans were men¬ 
tioned as different from those in common 
cultivation with us. Inquiries show that 
PLANT, POD, AND SEED OF THE ENGLISH BEAN. 
these beans are less known than we supposed, 
and to gratify those who ask about them, we 
give an engraving of one of the dwarf kinds 
popular abroad. We do not advise their trial 
here 6ave in far nothern localities or those 
near the sea where the atmosphere is moist 
and cool. Indeed, our beans are so much 
better than these, that it is only those who 
knew them “at home” who would care to 
grow them. We at one time had an English¬ 
man as a gardener who was sure he could 
grow these beans, so we furnished the seed, 
and he carefully drilled in each one at the 
proper depth. Before the plants were in 
bloom, they were so covered with black lice 
that the green of the foliage was scarcely 
visible. This bean belongs to a different 
genus from our common kind. It produces 
a straight, stout, upright stem, or in the dwarf 
variety shown, a stem with a few branches. 
The flowers are produced in clusters in the 
axils of the leaves. The large upright pods, 
and the shape of the beans, are shown in the 
engraving. In England over 20 varieties are 
known, some of which, as “horse beans.” are 
grown as a farm crop for feeding domestic 
animals. When beans are mentioned in Eng¬ 
lish agricultural works and journals, this is 
the kind referred to. What are known as beaijs 
in this country are there called Kidney Beans. 
Gardening with Covered Soil. 
Some interesting experiments have been 
made in one of the public gardens in France, 
in what may be termed excessive mulching— 
that is covering the soil with some material, 
to completely prevent evaporation. Ordinary 
mulching with straw, chips, small stones, and 
other materials, is often used with us to keep 
down weeds and preserve the moisture of the 
soil, and is largely practised in strawberry 
culture. In Europe tiles have long been em¬ 
ployed for strawberry beds. These tiles are 
in pairs, with a semicircular piece cut from 
one side of each ; when put together they 
surround the plant completely, and the bed 
is paved with tiles which have circular open¬ 
ings for the plants. We had heard of some 
experiments in this country with boards sim¬ 
ilarly arranged, which are reported to have 
been successful. Many, years ago we passed 
a.few hours at Key West, Fla., and noticed 
that the most flourishing of the small flower 
gardens were wonderfully clean. An exam¬ 
ination showed that the whole surface of the 
gardens or front yards, was covered with a 
layer of mortar or cement of some kind, per¬ 
haps three inches thick, leaving, of course, 
sufficient openings around each bush, etc. 
Here were roses and other flowering shrubs in 
great perfection under a tropical sun, while the 
“soil” was swept as clean as a floor. The 
French gardener’s experiments were with 
market garden crops—carrots, cabbages, let¬ 
tuce, etc. Among the articles used to cover the 
soil, was sheet zinc of two kinds, mentioned as 
white and black, but the difference not de¬ 
scribed. He shows that in most cases he ob¬ 
tained a largely increased product from the 
covered as compared with the uncovered soil, 
in some cases more than double. In seeking a 
cheaper covering material than zinc, boards 
were tried with fair success, but that which 
he thinks will be after all the cheapest, is 
parchment paper. Many of our readers are 
no doubt aware, that when unsized paper is 
dipped for a few seconds in Oil of Vitriol of 
the proper strength, and then soaked in water 
to remove the acid, the paper is changed in 
appearance and texture; it becomes tough, 
water-proof, and greatly resembles parch¬ 
ment. Parchment paper of the finer kinds, 
is now a regular article of manufacture. 
M. Nanot, the gardener referred to, proposes 
to use old newspapers thus “parchmentized,” 
as the cheapest material with which to cover 
the soil. He sums up the advantages of his 
method as producing : 1st—greater rapidity 
of growth. 2—Lessening of the enormous cost 
of watering. 3—Avoidance of hard work in 
weeding, and finally that he gets double the 
crops that he can from uncovered soil. While 
we do not expect our gardeners to at once cov¬ 
er their soil with parchment paper, this matter 
may offer some useful suggestions. 
A Flower B8e«l for UJse.— In every 
garden, no matter how much may be done in 
the way of ornament, there should be some¬ 
where, a bed from which the flower-lovers of 
the household can feel free to cut as they 
please. Flowers in masses, and ribbon lines,, 
or as specimen plants, are well, but it is 
much better to have a place where those wha 
really love flowers can go and cut a handful 
with no gardener to prevent. Such a bed 
should have, of all things, an abundance of 
the best kind of mignonette, and if confined 
to annuals, the candy tufts, white and crim- 
